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So You Think You're a Web Designer?

So you want to build your own website with WordPress? It’s free, right? What a great deal! I’ll just write in my text, throw up a few pictures, and voila! My own new website. Well, have at it my friend. And good luck.

So you want to build your own website with WordPress? It’s free, right? What a great deal! I’ll just write in my text, throw up a few pictures, and voila! My own new website. Well, have at it my friend. And good luck.

While WordPress is a great platform for website design, some of it’s major features and nuiances are going to drive you to drink (they do for me and I don’t drink!). What most folks don’t realize is that even though you’re working with freeware that’s fairly straight-forward, there is still a ton of behind the scenes customization and coding that can sometimes be required that only a true web developer will understand.

WordPress also constantly releases updates, so if you don’t stay updated, your website as well as the server your site is hosted on, can become vunerable. Not to mention the need to keep your plugins updated, make sure your plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress, etc, etc.

A custom website can be designed using WordPress, and you can still have access to it so you can make simple updates. There are huge benefits to having a professional web designer hired to build your site in WordPress, even if it's just to get you started. While there are many templates, chances are you will want to do something creative, unique and custom, something that you simply can’t do in a standard template. Custom responsive design and WordPress integration is one of the many things we specialize in! Then there is SEO so it's optimized! It’s great to have a new website, but what's the sense if no one can find it!!

I’ve been doing WordPress template/theme installs for years, and think it’s a great tool to suggest when a client has a smaller budget or wants something down and dirty! That doesn’t mean that you can’t choose a template that you like and have me customize it for you. We can talk about what types of graphics, color scheme, videos, photography, etc. that you might want to use on your selected theme. We can decide whether or not your site will have a blog that needs to stay active, etc.

Bottom line, the old saying, you get what you pay for, is true. Custom vs Temeplate. Using WordPress has its advantages (it’s free, right) but it also means the responsibility falls on YOU to keep up to date with the software patches and updates and maintain your content, keep it current, and deal with the pitfalls of freeware when they arise. Shouldn’t you be selling your scrumptious cupcakes or new designer cloths — the bread and butter of your business — and not worrying about website design? Leave that to JEG!